Sophie Ellis-Bextor - The Song Diaries

An album of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Greatest Hits…. but not as you know them. This new album features orchestral re-workings of her Greatest Hits, arranged by Amy Langley and produced by Ed Harcourt.

Releasing in Spring 2018, you can pre-order now on digital download and limited edition signed physical formats, alongside a range of exclusive merchandise (please note – not final designs shown below).

Why did she never happen though? Radio friendly songs, unique voice, decent vocals, she seems like a likeable person overall, she looks great and she had a successful career start (so it's not like no one has known her from the start).

Aside from Kylie's Abbey Road, these sort of projects do nothing for me. An actual greatest hits would be much more exciting, I really think if she'd done that with a strong new single (like Come With Us style) then it could've been a moderate success.

It's horrible to see she's not had a top 75 single in over four years!

SilentDream wrote:Why did she never happen though? Radio friendly songs, unique voice, decent vocals, she seems like a likeable person overall, she looks great and she had a successful career start (so it's not like no one has known her from the start).

she is a bit too posh for MOR and not charismatic enough to pull off soul or indie pop thingher best single lately was "Love Is A Camera"

This Orchestral idea is getting quite common now, Elvis has a third one out in as many years and Aretha & Roy Orbison have got theirs out this year too, not forgetting the second Pete Tong orchestral album and the Mike Pickering Hacienda one from last year. Having said that, I'm really looking forward to seeing what they come up with for Sophie's excellent back catalogue and I think this will sell very well as the Radio 2 audience will lap this up.

SilentDream wrote:Why did she never happen though? Radio friendly songs, unique voice, decent vocals, she seems like a likeable person overall, she looks great and she had a successful career start (so it's not like no one has known her from the start).

she is a bit too posh for MOR and not charismatic enough to pull off soul or indie pop thingher best single lately was "Love Is A Camera"

True, she might not seem authentic enough to some people as an indie pop artist, especially because she started as a dance pop artist. However, she was doing dance pop until her 4th album, but her career already started flopping with her 2nd album, so I don't think that's the (only) reason tbh.

Benjamin wrote:Also, I'd like to hear Sophie on a proper dance record again.

thius actually, her collabo with Spiller, Armin and Bittersweet were her best, but nothing came close to Today The Sun's on Us though.

'Groovejet' is a classic Whenever I hear it, it brings me back to the year 2000 when dance music was so good.I hope she includes this on the album. Interesting to hear an orchestra version of this masterpiece.

I agree! 'Today The Sun's On Us' is one of her best songs. Did they release any remixes for it?

Thriller wrote:Aside from Kylie's Abbey Road, these sort of projects do nothing for me. An actual greatest hits would be much more exciting, I really think if she'd done that with a strong new single (like Come With Us style) then it could've been a moderate success.

It's horrible to see she's not had a top 75 single in over four years!

As an independent artist, re-recording the songs means she doesn’t have to pay her original label anything, as she’s not using their property. I assume Sophie owns her own songs so is free to use them however she sees fit.

Blondie did the same with their 40th anniversary re-recorded album. They said it was to show how they perform each song now... but then included the album version of Maria

SilentDream wrote:Why did she never happen though? Radio friendly songs, unique voice, decent vocals, she seems like a likeable person overall, she looks great and she had a successful career start (so it's not like no one has known her from the start).

I don’t think she wanted it enough. It all went wrong with her 2nd album - she was at the top of the music scene with her debut album but the second wasn’t strong and it only went to #19. She gave up on the era when she fell pregnant then the music scene changed and it took her about 4 years to really return... to a career that wasn’t in the best shape anyway. Then she cancelled her and didn’t establish herself a strong live act.

I think she’s probably happy just dipping in and out of music now. She’s incredibly lucky to have had the success she did with Spiller and her first album, because frankly that’s all she is really known for to the public and it’s allowed her to fashion a career of sorts for 15 years.

jszmiles wrote: but nothing came close to Today The Sun's on Us though.

which didn't even make top 40

That doesn't say anything about the quality of the song, though. I would easily rank that as her best one as well.

I think it's a bit meh, not catchy enough, nothing memorable about it in the slightest.''Catch You'' is my fave (though she looks a bit anorexic in the music video), it has a nice electropop-pop rock vibe.

jszmiles wrote: but nothing came close to Today The Sun's on Us though.

which didn't even make top 40

That doesn't say anything about the quality of the song, though. I would easily rank that as her best one as well.

I think it's a bit meh, not catchy enough, nothing memorable about it in the slightest.''Catch You'' is my fave (though she looks a bit anorexic in the music video), it has a nice electropop-pop rock vibe.

Today the Sun's on Us is amazing, for me one of her best

Her 2nd album killed her career, she needed a more accessible followup. Had she released her 3rd album (and Catch You) as the 2nd, I think she'd at least have one more hit album/single in her discography, and maybe more

I'm surprised her second album is so unpopular, in fact she rarely performs anything from it either, so it will be interesting to see if anything from it makes the cut, but I think some of her best work is on it, such as Mixed Up World, Party In My Head and Walls Keep Saying Your Name.